I have nothing to say.

I'm just plain boring these days.

Toy story 3 was spendid. Go see it.

That's really the only thing worth writing about right now.

The worst oil spill in U.S. history.

It's definitely real. I was at the beach last night and confirmed with my own two eyes the devastating effects of this oil crisis. Simply heartbreaking.

One of the world's most beautiful beaches is being ruined right before our very eyes. Yes, they're making efforts to clean the sand at night, only to be slammed by the slimy, unrefined and putrid oil and tar all over again. It's unbelievable.

I'm not meaning to harp on this so much but it's something that is directly effecting my hometown, it's economy, it's people and our beautiful shores and ocean life.

Double red flags are flying out at Pensacola Beach meaning if you get in the water, you will be fined or even worse, arrested.

I just never imagined this happening.

My beach :(

cnn article

the darkness has arrived...

Oil sludge hammered our shores today. This is beyond me. I'm devastated.

Photos here.

Heartbreaking.

On a happier note- Ben is home :)

Sorry I've been absent lately. Trying to get back on track.

Viernes!

That means friday in spanish in case you were wondering. I used to work in a spanish church and I sang on the worship team (yes, in spanish) and that, my friends is how I learned to speak this marvelous language. Me encanta. Si, es verdad.

I'm going to Tampa tomorrow. And Orlando on Sunday. Would you believe that I was born and pretty much raised in the sunshine state and I have NEVER been out of the panhandle? As in, I've never ventured down to central or south Florida. Isn't that pathetic? I think it is. I'm excited. I'm excited about seeing my boyfriend, too. It's going to be a good weekend. I can feel it.

Last night I went to a sports bar with friends to watch the Celtics/Lakers game and the same egyptians from the night before were there. I'm not even lying. I promise you. They followed me outside and proclaimed "Do ju vemember us from de las night?" As weird and creepy as it is, I couldn't help but find it kind of adorable. Isn't that weird? I don't know why. I'm weird. Strange, I tell you.

I found a dollar. George was just looking up at me. It's my lucky dollar.

I like this picture.

Tomorrow makes me smile.

youngins.

Oh look what I found...

A picture of Ben and I when we were 17!

Oh so many moons ago.

Sorry, I know that this is my second post today but this was most worthy of immediate documentation.

"du ju vant dese nachas?"

Last night I hung out with two lovely lady friends of mine.

We were stalked by Egyptians who were adamant about taking our picture and giving us their leftover nachos and cheese, er "nachas and ches"

Um, gross.

It was really weird yet totally amazing all at the same time.

Because sometimes sitting in an office drives me crazy.

I got lost trying to find a certain bank today. In the RAIN. And lightning. I love lightning. Did you know that the safest place to be during a lightning storm is in your car? Yes, tis true. Google that if you don't believe me. You should believe me though. You know why? Because one time I was in a car that was struck by lightning. We were on summer vacation at a lake in Pennsylvania and my dad was driving and yes, lightning struck the car and it was more than evident. It was pretty strange. I was only 7 but I remember it vividly. It's a cool story to tell now.

I have lots of cool stories to tell. Like the time I was bit by a copperhead snake and almost died. Not lying. My precious mom put a band aid on it and sent me back outside to play. My rendition of the story went something like this- "Mom, an alligator bit me". She probably laughed, saw a small bite and thought "what an imaginative little girl I have". Um, obviously the band aid didn't suffice as I came back in convulsing and stuff. I lived and my mom never second guessed me again.

An oppossum fell on my head when i was in 4th grade. True story. Out of the tree, right onto my head. My mom saw the whole thing. How many people can say they had an oppossum fall out of a tree onto their head? I can. I might be the only person on the planet who can say that and that's fine with me.

I've busted my head open, toe open, eaten glass and stuffed my nose as full as it could be with tart and tiny candies yet i've never broken a bone in my body. Crazy.

I've lived through all of that and even more.

Maybe I'll do a part two to this sometime.

All of that from getting lost trying to find a bank. My thought process is pretty wild. Yeah?

Later.

It's been so good having Beth home. I've had more hang out time in the last couple of days than I've had in weeks! So refreshing.

I'll be seeing Ben in 3 days. Goodness, the time has gone by much more quickly than I expected it to. Especially in this past week.

Hopefully the rest of this week goes quickly as I imagine that it will.

“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”

The President is on my beach.

Yep, he's in town. Right this very instant. I'm watching it live.

He's walking on our pure white shores.

Last night I went downtown with friends and they had all the roads closed down there. It was a bit difficult. I finally made it home 45 mins later. Home from downtown usually takes me 10 minutes. Oh well.

Obama, I hope you can help do something about this crisis. I'm not discrediting you entirely, yet I do find a majority of your methods and ideas to be absurd. Please don't let me down. Don't let the gulf coast down. I do realize that a group effort is going to need to take place to help with this catastrophe.

Our beaches are magnificient. Our people are amazing. Our businesses are our livelihoods. We need a miracle.

Because this mess looms just a few miles from our shores...

photos from pensacolanewsjournal.com

what.a.weekend.

Um, lesson learned.

I'm one of those grossly annoying people pleasers. Yes, it's true. I'm sorry. I know, it's ridiculous and at times extremely inconvenient. Such as, this very weekend.

I was appproached by an insured of ours and asked if I would keep their children for a weekend. This past weekend, to be exact. I didn't want to do it but of course stated that I would.

LESSON LEARNED.

Talk about a whirlwind of a weekend. Have you ever seen the show "Hoarders"? Um, yes. I stayed in a house like that for two nights with 3 of the most wild children on the planet.

I might be traumatized. Yeah, I think I am.

There are simply no words to do it justice.

All I can say is, I do not understand how people can live like that. It's amazing to me the lifestyles that some people CHOOSE. Yes, it is a choice.

I made it out alive and I am exhausted beyond belief this morning but I survived. I've never been so happy to see a Monday morning in all my life. Ever. Thank you Jesus for Monday.

Positive spin- My best friend, Beth moved back here on Saturday night and SURPRISED everyone. She came to the house I was babysitting at and totally shocked me. It was amazing. I am so happy. Beyond happy, really.

I get to see Ben in 4 days and then he will come home with me. That is making me really happy!

Happy Monday! Hope your weekend was better than mine was. Yikes.

love affair.

Um, THANK YOU Cole for introducing me to polaroin.com.

I'm obsessed.

Creations...

I must stop now.

Friday, thank God. Or not?

Friday, Friday, Friday.

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy.

Sappy, Sappy, Sad, Sad.

You like my glasses, though?

Got my hair did last night. No more trashy mud trail roots for me. Yes, i highlight my hair. Don't you judge me for that.

No weekend for me. I agreed to housesit/babysit for a family with 3 kiddos whom I don't even know. I'm crazy. Ah well, let's spin the positive- the money. The money will be nice and is greatly needed at this time in my life. So, it will be fine and dandy. I'll refrain from complaining...

All except for the fact that I was kindly notified YESTERDAY that my family and some dear friends will be in Atlanta tomorrow AND I have a free ride there and back with friends here. Not only will my sisters and friends be there but my best friend LIVES there AND Ben is playing 30 miles away from there. Really? Timing is pretty awesome in life, eh?

I listened to Anathallo on my way to work this morning and it put me in a really good mood. Something about it just makes me happy. Did you know that their name is derived from a greek word meaning, "renew, refresh or bloom again"? I thought that was pretty awesome.

My hair is straight today and I always feel better about myself with straight hair for some reason. I'm too lazy to do it but when it's done, it feels so good.

It's a "good music, feel alive, straight hair, not gonna cry about what I can't do tomorrow" kinda day. Rejoice with me. Oh Friday.

not good.

Update 3:05 pm-He seems to be regaining his hearing little by little. Apparently milk of magnesia in the ear helps break down build up. Who knew? Thanks SO much for your comments and prayers. They mean a lot!

_____________________________________

Ben called me last night with some very disturbing news.

"Babe, I lost all hearing in my left ear"

"Ummm, are you serious?"

"Yeah, it's 100% gone."

Back in April a sound surge blew a speaker at the church he occasionally plays drums at and really messed up his left ear.

I guess last night, he just lost hearing in that ear altogether.

Obviously, to lose hearing in any ear would be horrible for anyone but this greatly effects his musical career as well.

Please pray that he is just healed. I'd hate for him to have to go through any type of surgery or something for this.

:(

Thank you.

Side note- my "real life" friend, Katie started a blog! She's AMAZING, so go and leave her some love and FOLLOW her here .

and so it begins...

It's going to be a very sad, vacant and beachless summer around these parts, folks.

Infuriating.

What's even worse is the efforts to clean our beaches are absolutely as diminutive as can be.

WHERE ARE ALL THE GREEN PEOPLE?!?

So very unfortunate. I just can't imagine what this summer is going to be like around here.

This whole thing is just too complex for me to wrap my mind around. I know I'm complaining about our beaches but this goes even further and effects so many other things. I hate it. I hate it all. I hate the entire concept and reality.

the adventures of.

Oh, I almost forgot!

This past weekend, my friend Alex and I went on a little adventure. Alex is my sickeningly gorgeous and sweet cuban friend pictured below.

We went to the beach. You know, the ones that are supposedly going to be ruined by sludgy, yucky, gross, sticky, thick oil from that spill in the gulf? I think I'm still in denial, even AFTER stepping in said oil/tar ball. Yes, I stepped in it. On my beach. Proof. Gross. Not cool. At all. I had to scrub scrub scrub it off.

It started raining HARD. It was pouring, like little bullets shooting my skin. It was cold, actually. I was shivering. Alex said "Let's get in the water". I thought, "I don't want tar in my hair" but we got in anyway.

We ran to the bathrooms to wait out the rain so we could get in our cars and drive home but the rain just would not let up, so I got the bright idea to run as fast as I could on the boardwalk to the parking lot. No sooner did I take off did I slip and take the hardest fall I've ever experienced. The right on your tail, legs go out from under you, see stars kind of fall. In the rain.

I wanted to cry but instead, I laughed. Alex laughed even harder. I would have much rather had her point of view.

It was a rainy, oily, bruised up Saturday spent with a wonderful, beautiful friend. What more can you ask for? Really?

Before and behind us, weaving in and out like rainbows through clouds. Bursts of vibrant color and every now and again a splotch of grey or black is thrown in the mix.

Keeping me alive yet letting me see the darkness and feel the pains of it, too.

I thank you for that.

Endless fields, vast horizons and sunsets make me happy. The rain on my face feels refreshing and the lights in the sky fascinate me. Maybe I hear you better this way. or maybe Im just so lonely that my imagination is 10 times better than real life. But isn't it always?

Just give me a boat and a paddle.

I feel safe all of a sudden.

the horror.

I'm craving...

those ooey gooey, sinful, warm, melt in your mouth, sugar high, give you a stomach ache from gorging yourself with them, all time classic, hot glazed krispy kreme donuts.

oh, but instead i'm working and drinking water but like a good neighbor...

i'm on a strict plan of action. a mission. an attempt to feel good and healthy again.

blast you, donuts for even throwing yourselves into my thought process today. you are evil.

back to work, i go. like a good little neighbor, donutless and ever so hungry.

run and breathe.

so, i've been working on a little project. one that makes my heart happy. one that will be a keepsake for years and years to come.

i love homemade memories.

i love hot tea and my "nice 'n' easy" frank sinatra record.

speaking of- those two very things have accompanied me whilst i work on said project.

i wish i could fly.

i'd rather be in italy. let's run away.

ciao, bella.

adventure fund.

i feel stuck. kind of like i'm working toward nothing, really.

there is oh so much I wish to experience, discover and learn. so much i want to see, feel and be. so many dreams and wonderful ideas rolling around in this tiny head and huge heart of mine that i feel may never be uncanned.

adventure is a word for the storybooks. i'm simply living- day to day, working a big girl job, paying an insurmountable stack of bills and attempting to save and hold onto what little i can for my future. the future that is so unknown and at times, very frightening.

i'm worried about what tomorrow might look like in this gloom and doom world of news, confused about little decisions and big decisions, unsure about how i feel toward change and frustrated with money.

who was it that said growing up was fun? i want to punch them.

where to begin? i suppose i'll start stowing my pennies away to build that tree house i always dreamt of.

i'm still just a kid at heart.

peek into my living...

This is my nook, my space, my own home/apartment. I love it. It's an escape of it's own. I've made it "mine" in every way. Enjoy...

Living area/dining area

My little music/sitting/reading room.

Sitting area.

My sweet little alley kitchen.

I am so blessed.

heartbreaking.

The oil from the BP gulf spill has unfortunately reached our shores as of this morning. Tar balls started washing ashore Pensacola Beach today.

I could cry.

I don't understand how they still have not stopped this leak. It makes absolutely no sense to me.

These pictures are from the impact the oil has had on Louisiana. God forbid it gets that bad here, too.

Seriously, this breaks my heart. This is tragic in every sense of the word.

News reports are saying if our shores suffer damage as severe as Louisiana has, we may never see our gorgeous white beach and emerald green waters again in our lifetime. Such a shame. What really saddens me, though is all of the wildlife that have suffered and will suffer from this awful contamination.

Businesses everywhere have already starting making claims for lost revenue, many have cancelled reservations for summer vacations and seafood markets fear their livelihoods are in serious jeopardy.

I'm not really one that harps on sensationalism but when people say that this story is sensationalized, it kind of irks me. Look at the disaster this has become and the long term effects it is going to have on every thing and everyone along the gulf coast and even, possibly, the whole United States. It's tragic, people. We're completely ignorant to think otherwise.

pictures galore.

I realize that these are from nearly two weeks ago when my family visited but I wanted to share them anyway :)

Friends-reunited

My little sister and her boyfriend, Sully. LOVE them. They're precious together. (Everyone calls them the vampire couple- hahaha)

My sister, Ashton and my Mom. Seriously, how beautiful are they?

Little Hannah graduating High School!

Hannah's graduation invitation.

Party Decor

The whole fam!

Hannah and I.

Sisters. Yes, I have the best. ;)

Hannah and Sully.

Sushi!

Jon and I. He's pretty much family. Brother, really.
Hannah, Jesse and I.
Ash and I.


Ashton and I at our favorite restaurant- Fish House..

It was a wonderful week, indeed. I hated to see them go. I hate living 9 hours away from them.
We made some really great memories, though.

I have the greatest family in the world. Well, I am slightly biased.

:)